General video · Level C1 - Part 2

How It's Made Olive Oil

The ancient Greek poet Homer called olive oil liquid gold, and today a little drizzle can still dazzle.

Level: C1 · 50 sentences

Transcript

  1. The ancient Greek poet Homer called olive oil liquid gold,
  2. and today a little drizzle can still dazzle.
  3. Like fine wine, premium olive oil can bring a complexity of flavours to the table
  4. and create a real taste sensation.
  5. Lovely.
  6. The roots of the olive tree stretch far into the past.
  7. For thousands of years, people have harvested its fruit and crushed it with stones to extract the precious oil.
  8. In those early days, olive oil wasn't just used in food,
  9. it fuelled lamps and was a medicinal ointment.
  10. Today's thriving olive groves are living proof that our appetite for olive oil hasn't waned.
  11. When green olives turn a violet red, they're ripe and ready for harvest.
  12. Workers shake the olives off the branch with vibrating rakes.
  13. The olives fall on nets spread beneath the trees.
  14. The harvested olives are then funneled into the factory.
  15. They fall down a chute into a large vat of pure water.
  16. A hose sucks the olives and water into a vibrating bin.
  17. This separates out leaves and twigs as the water drains away.
  18. The cleaned olives now bounce merrily on their way towards the crusher.
  19. A few centuries ago, the crusher was an apparatus powered by a donkey.
  20. Today though, a motor drives 600 kilogram granite wheels to grind the olives, pits and all, into a paste.
  21. Once the paste reaches the desired consistency,
  22. it's over to a computerised system that regulates the temperature of the paste as an auger mixes it.
  23. The oil is then separated from the paste using this machine.
  24. Traditional extracting techniques involve spreading the paste on mats
  25. and then stacking them to press out the oil.
  26. This system is more high-tech.
  27. Rows of metal plates dip into the paste and the oil adheres to them.
  28. A spin in a centrifuge separates the residual paste from the oil.
  29. The result is virgin olive oil.
  30. A sample of every batch goes to the testing room,
  31. where there's a man who has a nose for the job.
  32. He inhales the olive oil's aroma.
  33. Like a glass of fine wine, it should have a certain bouquet,
  34. and it should taste intensely fruity.
  35. If the oil makes the grade with this tester,
  36. the entire batch is ready for packaging.
  37. The packing process is entirely automated,
  38. ensuring it's all done hygienically.
  39. A conveyor funnels these tins into a line for filling.
  40. A mechanised system then feeds the olive oil directly from big tanks into the tins.
  41. A measuring device controls the amount that goes into each one.
  42. At the next station, a metal disc is inserted for the bottom of the can.
  43. The conveyor flips the can so it lands right side up, ready to pack.
  44. The premium grade oil is bottled.
  45. Dark glass is used to protect the oil from the sun's ultraviolet light,
  46. which could cause the olive oil to degrade and lose its intensity.
  47. After an automated fill-up, the threaded necks on the bottles are then capped.
  48. Machinery then press fits and screws the caps on for an airtight seal.
  49. Equipment then glues and applies the labels to the bottles.
  50. Preserved and protected, this olive oil is now on its way to the shops and ultimately the table.